For him, nothing will ever be mission impossible.
For four decades, he played for Stanley Kubrick, brought the cult series
Mission Impossible
to life on the big screen , camped out Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, the German officer who wanted to kill Hitler (
Valkyrie
, 2008).
And if all that weren't enough, today he is resuming the role of fighter pilot Peter “Maverick”, the hero of
Top Gun
who wrote his glory, with incredible success.
Eternal, sparkling star of world cinema, Tom Cruise celebrates his sixtieth birthday on this day of July 3.
Read alsoTom Cruise, old age is not for him
News obliges, the American actor must, beyond the joyful celebration of his birth, be in heaven.
Because it is worth remembering that
Top Gun: Maverick
, the second part of the adventures of the formidable American aviator, is breaking all box office records.
At the time these lines are written, the film directed by Joseph Kosinski has already amassed a trifle of more than a billion dollars in revenue.
A figure which proves that the magic Tom Cruise, like the man and the actor, has not aged a bit.
The Cannes Film Festival was not mistaken since, even before he celebrated his 60th birthday, it decided to award him a deserved Palme d'honneur for his entire career a few months ago.
Read alsoCannes Film Festival: should we go see the sequel to
Top Gun
with Tom Cruise?
Films by Kubrick, De Palma and Scorsese
It all started on July 3, 1962 in Syracuse, New York.
This summer day Thomas Cruise Mapother IV sees the light of day.
His childhood is difficult.
His father beats him.
He must, very young, ward off this bad fate.
He first thinks of becoming a priest but very quickly discovers his true vocation: to become an actor.
We will remember that in 1983, Coppola spotted him and gave him a supporting role in
Outsiders
.
Then, the same year, his talent was revealed in
Paul Brickman's
Risky Business .
1986 is to be marked with a white stone.
He is only 24 years old and for the first time he wears the jacket - which has since become legendary - of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a fearless and blameless officer, both sensitive and courageous, of the army of American look.
With this film, the cinematographic portrait of Tom Cruise is drawn: an intrepid actor who knows how to play on emotion as well as on the sensitive chord of the spectators.
Herald of the action film, the actor does not limit himself to this spectacular genre.
Renowned directors will also trust him.
The list is impressive: Martin Scorsese (
The Color of Money
) in 1986, Barry Levinson (
Rain Man
) in 1988, Oliver Stone (
Born on the 4th of July
) in 1989, Sydney Pollack (
The Firm
) in 1993 and of course Brian De Palma for the first
Mission Impossible
in 1996.
Hollywood's chief stuntman, perfect hero, Tom Cruise did not neglect the darker and more dramatic compositions which he knew would place him at the highest level in the hierarchy of the sacred monsters of the seventh art.
Of this dramatic filmography we will note his work with Nicole Kidman, - with whom he remained married for eleven years, - for the immense Stanley Kubrick in
Eyes Wide Shut
in 1998. And we will not forget either his character as hitman in
Collateral
by Michael Mann in 2004.
Sanctified during his lifetime, actor adored by audiences around the world, Tom Cruise is not about to stop marveling at us.
A few weeks ago, the Patrouille de France, the elite of our airmen, made no mistake, flying over the Croisette in its honor.
These knights of the sky, a little early wished him a little early and in their own way, the most beautiful of birthdays.